TWU
coach Richie Bruister was content with Thursday’s two wins over Eastern New
Mexico, but his standards are high as the No. 8 Pioneers have their sights set
on their third NCAA regional berth in four years.

“What
I was disappointed in was our intensity on defense,” Bruister said. “After we
scored runs, it was good. They came out [Friday] and played like they were
supposed to play. We had some huge defensive plays. Haley Colwell made one in
right-center and Amanda Ruiz made one of the greatest catches you’ll ever see.
It was major-league.”

With
renewed defensive focus and continued offensive prowess, the Pioneers beat the
Zias 7-2 on Friday to sweep the three-game series at Pioneer Field.

Bruister
likened his well-rounded, power-hitting club to an American League franchise.

“Everybody
1 through 9 can hit the ball extremely well,” Bruister said. “We can move runs
around when we need to, but it’s nice to wait for your pitch and be selective.
Research shows that if you hit hard line drives every time you’re going to hit
.750, and that’s what we want to do.”

Ruiz
not only made an acrobatic, leaping catch while crashing into the center field
wall in the fourth inning, but she also went 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

That
performance came after she led TWU with three RBIs in a 9-1 victory Thursday.

“She’s
consistent,” Bruister said. “She was the JUCO player of the year for her region
last year, and she’s continued that success here. She’s one of those players
that’s doing consistently awesome, but they just get overshadowed by the big
things that are going on, and people sometimes forget about the little people.”

The
Pioneers got going in the first when Bailey Vrazel reached on an infield
single, advanced to second on an illegal pitch and scored on Ruiz’s single up
the middle.

Lizzy
Kelly’s single to right scored Sarah Wittenburg in the second to make it 2-0,
and Ruiz delivered her second RBI single when she beat the throw to first base.

“My
swing has been completely off and I’ve been swinging at bad pitches,” Ruiz
said. “I’ve been keeping my foot going forward and actually swinging at good
pitches. I’m really confident with our offense. I probably wouldn’t have put
those runs up if they didn’t get on base, so they are doing well getting on.”

After
hitting in the No. 3 spot in the first two games of the series, Kelly was moved
to ninth, where she boosted the bottom of the lineup with a 2-for-3 performance
and an RBI.

“Being
in the nine-hole now, it’s what’s best for the team,” Kelly said. “Last year I
did great [at No. 9], so I’ll just keep working in whatever spot [Bruister]
puts me in. He told me before the game, so I’m kind of used to it, but the
mentality didn’t change much for me.”

Ashley
Maddox was hit by a pitch and Kelly singled in the fourth, chasing starter Mary
Jo Granger from the game in favor of Alberta Medina. Vrazel’s line drive was
dropped by center fielder Tylor Romero to load the bases, and a patient Colwell
walked to force in pinch runner Karissa Hartwig to put TWU ahead 4-0.

The
Zias finally got to TWU starter Larisa Garcia (10-1) with two extra-base hits
to start the fifth inning. Aurelia Sandoval led off with a double, and
Kuuleiokealoaha VonSchriltz tripled to right to make it 4-1.

Brandie
Lander relieved Garcia and ended the threat. She earned her third save while
striking out six Zias in three innings.

“We
got good pitching from Garcia, and she went as long as she could because she
pitched [Thursday],” Bruister said. “As soon as she got tired, we brought
Brandie in and she closed the door on them. It was a great one-two punch.”

In
the bottom of the fifth, the Pioneers got back to their power game with a solo
home run from Readicker, her 13th of the season, and a two-run shot from
Maddox, her third, for a 7-1 cushion.

The
Pioneers (33-7, 11-1 Lone Star) moved a game ahead of second-place West Texas
A&M (27-3, 10-2), which split a doubleheader with Angelo State.

“We
had to keep close with the top of the conference,” Bruister said. “[The Lady
Buffs] are no slouches, and they are trying to do the same thing. Everybody is
playing good ball. It’s a tough conference. The season is getting shorter now
and we are in a good position.”

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